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FAQ

What is an MLM?

The idea behind MLMs is that people pay to become distributors of a product. These can be physical products or services. The company is structured so that the people above (the person who recruited or signed up the new distributor, the people above them, ad infinitum) get a percentage of whatever the distributor sells. The new distributor is encouraged not only to sell the product, but to sign up other people below them so that they can make even more money. courtesy u/copacetic1515

What is a "Hun"?

People who shill products/services for an MLM. The sellers have a tendency to frequently use the word "hun" when initiating a sales pitch. Ex: “Hey hun ❤️❤️ I see your aunt is dying 😱😱 anyway hun 😊💁‍♀️ wanna buy my oils it’s good for stress 😍😘😘” courtesy u/fiestaspongebob

There are lots and lots of male-dominated MLMs. The reason this subreddit shows mostly screenshots from women's social media pages is because the MLMs that target women tend to be based around consumer goods like make-up, clothing, health products, etc. They tend to generate more entertaining content for this subreddit because the merchandise is clearly ridiculous and the sales tactics are delusional. But in the regular economy, women purchase more makeup, clothing, and health products, so it's reflective of regular buying patterns (remember that the consultant is the true customer). Additionally, more women use social media overall, and most of this subreddit is social media content.

MLMs that target men tend to be much more insidious and potentially more damaging (cult-like). Those MLMs like Primerica, MCA, Amway (male-led but often a "couple hustle"), ACN, etc. don't generate as much entertaining content for /r/antiMLM because they have their own weird codes and languages and so the "joke" isn't obvious. A lot of these MLMs do meetings and recruiting away from social media because there isn't a product to show, and men just use social media less.

There are many, many stories in this subreddit about how some of the MLMs in the latter group can absolutely ruin lives and families. Not that the MLMs selling oils aren't bad for people, they are, but the damage by Amway and Primerica tends to be a lot bigger, and of course more insidious because it isn't happening on a public platform.

I hope that makes sense :) this question comes up pretty often and if you continue reading this subreddit you'll probably get a peek into the crazy MLM universe.

A high school and college classmate got into Prepaid Legal/Legal Shield about 12-13 years ago and has done it full time for the last 10+ years - but virtually never posts about it on social media. I think guys who get into financial MLMs like that don't seem to use social media as a sales channel nearly as much as women do.

Amway and Primamerica get men. Make-up and weird women's leggings are both pretty targeted at women sellers, I mean even in stores. How many men have you seen at the cosmetics counters? Make-up, kitchen gadgets, craft stuff benefits from demos.

But since many housewives feel something is missing and many working women feel they are neglecting their families, at least on occasion. There is always a "need " to be fulfilled. So I think part of the reason women are targeted is that we are not 100% comfortable with the changes in the last few generations and don't have come to terms with what a work/ home balance looks and feels like or even exactly what that will be.

I know a guy who has been in various MLMs for over 20 years and as far as I can tell he's not making much. He's even fallen for the Iraqi dinar scam. He claims he only does it for products he personally wants to use anyway, but from time to time he'll mention earnings potential.